[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 660 Introduced in House (IH)]
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114th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 660
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives to support the
territorial integrity of Georgia.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 23, 2016
Mr. Poe of Texas (for himself and Mr. Connolly) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives to support the
territorial integrity of Georgia.
Whereas since 1993, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia have
been reaffirmed by the international community in all United Nations
Security Council resolutions on Georgia;
Whereas the Government of Georgia has pursued a peaceful resolution of the
conflict with Russia over Georgia's territories of Abkhazia and the
Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia;
Whereas principle IV of the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 states that, ``The
participating States will respect the territorial integrity of each of
the participating States. Accordingly, they will refrain from any action
inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the
United Nations against the territorial integrity, political independence
or the unity of any participating State, and in particular from any such
action constituting a threat or use of force . . . and participating
States will likewise refrain from making each other's territory the
object of military occupation.'';
Whereas the Charter of the United Nations states that, ``All Members shall
refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force
against the territorial integrity or political independence of any
state.'';
Whereas the recognition by the Government of the Russian Federation of Abkhazia
and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia on August 26, 2008, was in violation
of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and
contradicting principles of Helsinki Final Act of 1975, the Charter of
the United Nations as well as the August 12, 2008, Ceasefire Agreement;
Whereas the United States-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership, signed on
January 9, 2009, underscores that ``support for each other's
sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability of
borders constitutes the foundation of our bilateral relations.'';
Whereas according to the Government of Georgia's ``State Strategy on Occupied
Territories'', the Government of Georgia has committed itself to a
policy of peaceful engagement, the protection of economic and human
rights, freedom of movement, and the preservation of cultural heritage,
language, and identity for the people of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali
region/South Ossetia;
Whereas the August 2008 war between the Russian Federation and Georgia resulted
in civilian and military casualties, the violation of the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of Georgia, and large numbers of internally
displaced persons;
Whereas the annual United Nations General Assembly Resolution on the ``Status of
Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia and the
Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia'', recognizes the right of
return of all internally displaced persons and refugees and their
descendants, regardless of ethnicity, as well as their property rights,
remains unfulfilled;
Whereas the Russian Federation is building barbed wire fences and installing,
so-called ``border signs'' and other artificial barriers along the
occupation line and depriving the people residing within the occupied
regions and in the adjacent areas of their fundamental rights and
freedoms, including, but not limited to the freedom of movement, family
life, education in their native language, and other civil and economic
rights;
Whereas the August 12, 2008, Ceasefire Agreement, agreed to by the Governments
of the Russian Federation and Georgia--
(1) provides that all troops of the Russian Federation shall be
withdrawn to pre-war positions;
(2) provides that free access shall be granted to organizations
providing humanitarian assistance in regions affected by the violence in
August 2008; and
(3) launched the Geneva International Discussions between Georgia and
the Russian Federation;
Whereas, on November 23, 2010, Georgian President Saakashvili declared before
the European Parliament that ``Georgia will never use force to restore
its territorial integrity and sovereignty.'';
Whereas, on March 7, 2013, the bipartisan Resolution of the Parliament of
Georgia on Basic Directions of Georgia's Foreign Policy confirmed
``Georgia's commitment for the non-use of force, pledged by the
President of Georgia in his address to the international community from
the European Parliament in Strasburg on November 23, 2010.'';
Whereas, on June 27, 2014, in the Association Agreement between Georgia and the
European Union, Georgia reaffirmed its commitment ``to restore its
territorial integrity in pursuit of a peaceful and lasting conflict
resolution, of pursuing the full implementation of'' the August 12,
2008, ceasefire agreement;
Whereas despite the unilateral legally binding commitment to the non-use of
force pledged by the Georgian Government, the Russian Federation still
refuses to reciprocate with its own legally binding non-use of force
pledge;
Whereas the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) is still denied access to
the occupied regions of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South
Ossetia, despite the fact that its mandate covers the whole territory of
Georgia within its internationally recognized borders;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues to enhance its military bases illegally
stationed in occupied regions of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/
South Ossetia without the consent of the Government of Georgia or a
mandate from the United Nations or other multilateral organizations;
Whereas the Russian Federation continues the process of aggression carried out
against Georgia since the early 1990s and occupation of Georgia's
territories following the August 2008 Russia-Georgia War;
Whereas the Russian Federation's policy vis-a-vis Georgia and the alarming
developments in the region illustrate that Moscow does not accept the
independent choice of sovereign states and strives for the restoration
of zones of influence in the region, including through the use of force,
occupation, factual annexation, and other aggressive acts; and
Whereas the United States applied the doctrine of non-recognition in 1940 to the
countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and every Presidential
administration of the United States honored this doctrine until
independence was restored to those countries in 1991: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the policy, popularly known as the ``Stimson
Doctrine'', of the United States to not recognize territorial
changes effected by force, and affirms that this policy should
continue to guide the foreign policy of the United States;
(2) condemns the military intervention and occupation of
Georgia by the Russian Federation and its continuous illegal
activities along the occupation line in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali
region/South Ossetia;
(3) calls upon the Russian Federation to withdraw its
recognition of Georgia's territories of Abkhazia and the
Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia as independent countries, to
refrain from acts and policies that undermine the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of Georgia, and to take steps to
fulfill all the terms and conditions of the August 12, 2008,
Ceasefire Agreement between Georgia and the Russian Federation;
(4) stresses the necessity of progress on core issues
within the Geneva International Discussions, including a
legally binding pledge from Russia on the non-use of force, the
establishment of international security arrangements in the
occupied regions of Georgia, and the safe and dignified return
of internally displaced persons and refugees to the places of
their origin;
(5) urges the United States Government to declare
unequivocally that the United States will not recognize the de
jure or de facto sovereignty of the Russian Federation over any
part of Georgia, its airspace, or its territorial waters,
including Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia
under any circumstances;
(6) urges the United States Administration to deepen
cooperation with Georgia in all areas of the United States-
Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership, including Georgia's
advancement towards Euro-Atlantic integration;
(7) urges the United States Administration to place
emphasis on enhancing Georgia's security through joint military
trainings and providing self-defensive capabilities in order to
enhance Georgia's independent statehood and national
sovereignty; and
(8) affirms that a free, united, democratic, and sovereign
Georgia is in the long-term interest of the United States as it
promotes peace and stability in the region.
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